Turn people-watching into character gold: A workshop for introverts and extroverts alike.
Date: Sunday, 27 April
Time: 16:40
Room: Tuke Hall
Filmed: YES
Writers are natural observers – we’re constantly watching, cataloging quirks, and mentally filing away human behaviors. But are you consciously using these observations to create characters with authentic depth?
This hands-on workshop turns casual people-watching into a deliberate creative skill. Through targeted exercises and practical examples, you’ll learn to transform everyday observations into complex, compelling characters who drive your stories forward.
We’ll explore observational techniques that work for every personality type. Self-described introverts will discover the creative power in being the quiet observer, while more outgoing writers will learn focused approaches to the human interactions they naturally seek out. Both will find new ways to mine their experiences for character gold.
You’ll practice capturing revealing physical mannerisms, decoding what vocal patterns reveal about inner life, and recognizing the subtle contradictions that make people (and characters) feel authentically human. We’ll also examine how to ethically transform real-world observations into fictional creations that serve your story.
Come ready to participate in skill-building exercises that you can continue using long after the session ends. Whether you’re developing characters for film, television, or prose, you’ll leave with practical tools to create people on the page who feel as complex and contradictory as those in the real world.
No more flat stereotypes or thinly-disguised versions of yourself – it’s time to populate your stories with characters readers can’t forget.
